Holding Schools Accountable Toolkit

This publication offers communities a comprehensive set of tools — tips, references, stories, worksheets and more — aimed at helping neighborhoods hold schools accountable for student achievement. Initially designed for Annie E. Casey’s Making Connections initiative, the toolkit operates as a companion piece for the Foundation’sBuilding More Effective Community Schoolsguide.

In This Report, You’ll Learn

How to organize a community-driven effort to hold schools accountable.

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Ways to reduce school-neighborhood tensions.

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Ground rules for effective group discussions.

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Tips for collecting data on public schools and students.

Key Takeaway

Learn from communities that have already succeeded in boosting student achievement

The goal: Create better schools and increase academic outcomes for children. The game plan? Distill the experiences of other communities into step-by-step tips, clear strategies and concrete examples that make it easy for residents to get reforms rolling.

Findings & Stats

Navigating the Narrative

The toolkit’s main chapters contain the same four sections: 1) a segment introduction; 2) clear steps and sample tools to aid your work; 3) questions to ask as you move along; and 4) a resource list for learning more.

Stakeholder Suggestions

This toolkit shares 30 types of individuals to consider when building your stakeholder list.

Getting the Facts

Readers will learn 16 sources they can use to gather data on schools and student performance including report cards, attendance records and college entrance tests.

Pre-Packaged Action

This publication outlines 18 ways that a neighborhood can take action to hold schools accountable.

Catalyst for Change

Low college admission rates, teacher recruitment challenges and high dropout rates are some of the many issues that have prompted residents to take action and demand change.

Ripple Effect

Engaging families in school reform yields benefits that extend beyond the classroom. It builds skills among residents, brings new resources neighborhoods and increases opportunities for children.

Statements & Quotations

Across the country, fragile neighborhoods are grappling with chronic failure in public schools. As a result, far too many children are being robbed of bright and hopeful futures.

A universal feature of efforts to change schools and transform neighborhoods is that there will always be room to do better. So a perpetual question for organizers will always be: are we ready for the next push?